Returning roll toy



NOV. 20, 1951 R B|GG5 2,575,743

RETURNING ROLL TOY Filed Aug. 6, 1946 IN V EN TOR.

Ear Bigas P79. 4 wgadwm fytiorng Patented Nov. 20, 1951 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE RETURNING ROLL TOY Earl R. Biggs, Portland, Oreg.

Application August 6, 1946, Serial No. 688,636

4 Claims. (01.46-207) The present invention relates to amusement devices and more particularly to automatically returning roll toys.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a new and improved returning roll toy which is attractive and amusing, clean, substantially indestructible and of low cost manufacture.

More specifically, it is an object of the present invention to provide a novel toy of the class de scribed incorporating an arrangement of relatively movable elements whereby it is rendered both interesting and amusing to watch.

Further objects and advantages of the present invention will appear from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings while the features of novelty will be pointed out with greater particularity in the appended claims.

In the drawings Fig. l is a side elevation of the toy constructed in accordance with one form thereof; Fig. 2 is a cross sectional view taken along the line 22 of Fig. 1;. Fig. 3 is a cross sectional view taken along the line 3-3 of Fig. 1; and Fig. 4 is a fragmentary side elevation illustrating a further modification of the invention.

The toy of the invention comprises a housing including a transparent cylindrical outer wall It and opposite end walls II and I2 which may also, though not necessarily, be transparent. The housing comprising portions), H and I2 may be of any suitable material such as plastic, the portions being sealed together to form a tight enclosure. Mounted within the housing is a figurine such as a doll l4, the doll being preferably double faced as illustrated more clearly in the side view of Fig. 3, the doll being furthermore provided with a weight in its lower portion as indicated at I 5. The figurine is suspended substantially midway between the opposite end walls H and I2 and free of the cylindrical wall In by-resilient or rubber band means secured to the opposite end walls ll and 12 substantially centrally thereof. As illustrated, the suspension means comprises a pair of rubber bands I6 and 11 the inner ends of the two bands being looped underneath the arms of the figurine while the outer ends of the bands are mounted upon hooks l8 secured to the inner surfaces of the end walls. The rubber bands are stretched taut whereby they extend substantially along the longitudinal axis of the cylindrical housing l0. As the toy is rolled away from the operator the figurine remains in the upright position due to the weight l5 and the rubber bands become twisted so that upon loss of momentum the torsional stress built up in the twisted bands l6 and I! will be transmitted tothe housing to cause reversal of movement and rolling thereof back to its original position.

Supported upon the rubber bands It and H substantially midway between the figurine and the adjacent end walls are a pair of disks 2!! which disks are provided with a pair of spaced apart openings 2| at their central portions through which openings are extended the opposite sides of the rubber bands. Members 22 extend at right angles through the disks :2 adjacent the peripheral edges thereof and are spaced uniformly.thereabout, the members 22 being of a length somewhat less than the space between the figurine and the adjacent opposite end walls. Spacer members in the form of short cylindrical units 24 are provided on each of the opposite sides of the disks 20 to maintain the disks in a properly spaced relation substantially midway between the figurine and each of the opposite end walls of the housing. Upon rolling movement of the toy the disks 2 are also given a rotary motion but at a speed substantially onehalf the speed of rotation of the housing creating an unusual and interesting optical illusion. Furthermore as the rubber bands wind. up and unwind the disks will rotate with an uneven or vibratory rotational characteristic further enhancing the visual effect created. The members 22 extending transversely of the disks adjacent their peripheral portions are preferably of different bright colors so that the rotation of the disk elements 20 may be more clearly observed. The spacer elements 24 may also be of bright colors and serve to conceal the rubber band suspension means extending therethrough which suspension means are in themselves relatively unattractive. The spacer means 24, however, do not in any way affect or retard the winding and unwinding of the rubber bands, the opening through the spacer means being considerably greater than the over-all dimensions of the spaced apart sides of the rubber band means.

In the modification of the invention illustrated in Fig. 4 the disk units 20 are replaced by an annular member or hoop 30 which is arranged about the figurine. The hoop may be either circular or elliptical and a pair of holes are provided in diametrically opposite points similar to the holes 2| provided in the disks 20 through which holes extend the two sides of eachof the rubber band suspension means [6 sw ns and IT. The diameter of the hoop in the direction radially of the housing is somewhat less than the inner diameter of the housing so that it may rotate freely therewithin upon rolling movement of the toy. As in the case of the disk units 20 the hoop 30 upon rolling of the toy will rotate about the longitudinal axis of the toy but at a speed of rotation less than that of the toy housing and moreover will give an illusion resembling the performance of "a child skipping rope.

Having described the invention in what is 7 considered to be certain preferred embodiments thereof it is desired that it be understood that:

the specific details shown are merely illustrative and that the invention may be carried out by" other means. 7

What I claim is:

1. In a returning roll toy the combinatlo'n' comprising a housing including a transparent cylindrical outer wall and opposite end walls a double faced doll mountedwithinsaid housing, a weight in the lowerportion of said doll, rubberiban'd sus-- band suspension means on each ofithei opposite sides of said rotary means whereby upon rolling movement of said toy said 'rotarymeans rotate at a rate substantially one-half the rate o'f-rota tion of said housing.

2. In a returning roll toy the combination comprising a housing including a transparent cylindrical outer walland opposite end walls, a fig-' urine Weighted at thelower 'end suspendedwithin said housing,-the suspensionmeans ior'sai'd figurine comprising a rubber band attached to each of theopposite sides of sai'dfi urine'and extending axially of said housing andattached centrally to adjacent end walls of said housing; a

disk mounted on each of saidrubber bandssub stantially midway between each *ofthe opposite 1 sides of said figurine and-the 'adjacent end'wall; the opposite sides of each of "said'band's extending throughspaced holes in said-disks, and spacer elements on eachof the opposite sidesof saiddisks and said figurine and respective-end walls,-

whereby upon rollingmovemen't of said toy said disks will rotate at a rate substantially-one-half' the rate of rotation ofsaid housing.

3. In a returning r011 toy the combination com 7 ametrically opposite points thereof the two sides of the rubber band extending through said pair of holes-i-nsaid hoop on each of the opposite sides of said-:dollwhereby upon rolling movement of said toy said hoop will be caused to rotate relativelyabout said doll suspended therewithin at a rate substantially one-half the rate of rotation ofsaid housing.

4;. In-areturning roll toy, the combination comprising a housing including a transparentcylinrdrical :outer wall portion; a figurine mounted within said housing, a weight in the'lower por? tion': ofvsaid figurine, rubber band suspension means secured toeach of the-opposite end" walls of said housing and to said figurine midway-be tween 'said'end walls whereby saidfigurineissuspended free from said cylindrical wall-portion; said rubberbancl meansrbeing doubleoneach-of theopposite sidesof said figurine, avhoop extend ing around said figurine and supported: on said rubber band means :on each-of the-opposite sides of'said figurine substantially midway between said figurine and the adjacent end wall whereby,

upon rollingmovement ofsaid toy, 'said ho'opzwill be caused to rotate'relatively abouti-saidfigu'rine suspended therewithin at a rate substantially oneshalf'the rate of rotation of. saidthousing- EARL R. BIGGS? REFERENCES cum) The "following references areof record'=in'*the file of this patent:

'UNITED STATES "PATENTS" 

